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The grounds of the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus on the Hinxton Hall estate. Credit: Wellcome Library, London

Established in 1992, under founder director Sir John Sulston the Wellcome Trust SangerInstitute spearheaded the UK contribution to the Human Genome Project. It sequenced almost one-third of the human genome (the largest single contribution) and was instrumental in ensuring that sequence data were made freely available for the benefit of all.

Today, the Institute is home to more than 30 academic staff, whose expertise ranges from genomics to biomedicine and who are investigating the role of genes in health and disease.

As well as the human genome, the Sanger Institute has sequenced the genomes of numerous human pathogens, including those that cause tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy and diphtheria. Today, its ongoing projects continue to identify the genetic basis of disease and potential targets for new drugs and vaccines.

The Trust's Advanced Courses programme, which provides practical training in the latest biomedical research techniques and bioinformatics tools for senior PhD students, postdocs and clinicians, is performed in dedicated laboratory and IT teaching facilities within the Sanger Institute.

An active Public Engagement team hosted over 5500 visitors during 2006-09, including schoolchildren aged 14+, and all students and postdoctoral fellows based at the Sanger Institute are required to take formal training in communication and public engagement.